How much did I mess up?

[sac89]

Ok, total rookie mistake, and I should have thought about it prior to doing it. But how much did I mess up???

I asked a fellow RV'er friend of mine about winterizing my TT with anti freeze. He said, "piece of cake", just pour the antifreeze into your water tank and turn on the faucets till they run pink.

So dumb-ass me goes and pours 5 gallons of antifreeze into my freshwater tank. After my first gallon I thought to myself, "self, this is a really stupid idea. I am contaminating my freshwater tank" So with the damage being done, after the first gallon was in, I pressed on and put in the other 4 gallons, thinking what's done is done. I ran the lines until they poured pink.

My question is, just how screwed am I? Will I be able to flush 5 gallons or antifreeze out of my freshwater tank in the spring? Will I be able to drink out of my camper again? Do I fess up to my dealer/mechanic that I did this?

Thoughts? Suggestions?? Bullets for my skull???


...after I told my friend that I did this, he turns and says that he simply blows air thru his lines to get the water out...nice.

[Bucky_Badger]

Bumpyroad wrote:

Bucky Badger wrote:



I don't have a kit, but all I do is unhook the tank side of the pump and hook the siphon hose there instead and put the hose in a jug of antifreeze

a $17 kit will make life easier. expecially if your pump is at all difficult to reach.
unfortunately I could not put the valve on the input side of the pump without major surgery so I put it on the output side and pump AF in with a boat bilge pump.
bumpy

Actually is very easy to get to my pumps outside compartment

[NEnative]

sac89, I hope your not going to be asking this RVing friend of yours for any more advise. Please don't ask him how to dump your black tank as he will probably tell you to just pull the valve open (without a hose). Hopefully you can find a better friend to go RVing with!

[kennyd63]

sac89 wrote:
Ok, total rookie mistake, and I should have thought about it prior to doing it. But how much did I mess up???

I asked a fellow RV'er friend of mine about winterizing my TT with anti freeze. He said, "piece of cake", just pour the antifreeze into your water tank and turn on the faucets till they run pink.

So dumb-ass me goes and pours 5 gallons of antifreeze into my freshwater tank. After my first gallon I thought to myself, "self, this is a really stupid idea. I am contaminating my freshwater tank" So with the damage being done, after the first gallon was in, I pressed on and put in the other 4 gallons, thinking what's done is done. I ran the lines until they poured pink.

My question is, just how screwed am I? Will I be able to flush 5 gallons or antifreeze out of my freshwater tank in the spring? Will I be able to drink out of my camper again? Do I fess up to my dealer/mechanic that I did this?

Thoughts? Suggestions?? Bullets for my skull???


...after I told my friend that I did this, he turns and says that he simply blows air thru his lines to get the water out...nice.

I Have done this in the past, It should be fine.. Just flush good and sanitize as advised per other members..

[Bumpyroad]

Bucky Badger wrote:



I don't have a kit, but all I do is unhook the tank side of the pump and hook the siphon hose there instead and put the hose in a jug of antifreeze

a $17 kit will make life easier. expecially if your pump is at all difficult to reach.
unfortunately I could not put the valve on the input side of the pump without major surgery so I put it on the output side and pump AF in with a boat bilge pump.
bumpy

[Bucky_Badger]

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

Bucky Badger wrote:

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
RV antifreeze is not unsafe and is biodegradable. In the spring just flush the fresh water tank a couple of times. And then sanitize it as you would every spring.

In the future just pour 3 or 4 gallons into a 5 gallon bucket drop the pick up tube in and siphon out of that.

Where do you get the pickup tube from?

It's usually just a piece of clear tubing 1/2" ID
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-36543-Pump-Converter-Winterizing/dp/B0006JJ588

I'm wondering where the pickup tube goes? If you are sucking that into your water tubing where is the pickup tube?

The pump would suck water from the tank.

I don't have a kit, but all I do is unhook the tank side of the pump and hook the siphon hose there instead and put the hose in a jug of antifreeze

[Sprink-Fitter]

Bucky Badger wrote:

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
RV antifreeze is not unsafe and is biodegradable. In the spring just flush the fresh water tank a couple of times. And then sanitize it as you would every spring.

In the future just pour 3 or 4 gallons into a 5 gallon bucket drop the pick up tube in and siphon out of that.

Where do you get the pickup tube from?

It's usually just a piece of clear tubing 1/2" ID
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-36543-Pump-Converter-Winterizing/dp/B0006JJ588

I'm wondering where the pickup tube goes? If you are sucking that into your water tubing where is the pickup tube?

The pump would suck water from the tank.

[TurnThePage]

Now that it's done and all the water is out of the system, drain the fresh water tank AND the water lines. No need for the pink stuff to be there anymore.

[Bumpyroad]

PackerBacker wrote:

Steve 83406 wrote:
My fresh water tank in my Prowler 24C is just below the sofa. The drain fitting is on the side and as close to the bottom as could be made. Even after draining, there is about 1/2" of water in the tank, so I have had to add the pink antifreeze to it to prevent the residual water from freezing. I suspect many tanks are like mine, and you've actually helped yourself in the long run...

It doesn't much matter if it freezes. I don't think I have ever had one that drained to nothing. As long as it is 'empty' for the most-part, there is lots of room for freezing water to expand.

x2
no reason to put AF into the fresh water tank.
bumpy

[ppine]

No big deal, you just wasted a lot antifreeze. It will flush out fine and is not dangerous to begin with.

The simple way to winterize is to by pass the water heater and pull from a jug of antifreeze on the suction side of your water pump. It takes about ten minutes and uses less than a gallon.

[Community Alumni]

Steve 83406 wrote:
My fresh water tank in my Prowler 24C is just below the sofa. The drain fitting is on the side and as close to the bottom as could be made. Even after draining, there is about 1/2" of water in the tank, so I have had to add the pink antifreeze to it to prevent the residual water from freezing. I suspect many tanks are like mine, and you've actually helped yourself in the long run...

It doesn't much matter if it freezes. I don't think I have ever had one that drained to nothing. As long as it is 'empty' for the most-part, there is lots of room for freezing water to expand.

[jmtandem]

that will taste worse than the AF would after a few rinses. if for sanitization, a few hours or overnight will do.
bumpy

Your point is well taken. I leave it in 24 hours and have never had an issue with taste but I do a very thorough rinse a couple times and the entire lines as well.

[Steve_83406]

My fresh water tank in my Prowler 24C is just below the sofa. The drain fitting is on the side and as close to the bottom as could be made. Even after draining, there is about 1/2" of water in the tank, so I have had to add the pink antifreeze to it to prevent the residual water from freezing. I suspect many tanks are like mine, and you've actually helped yourself in the long run...

[sac89]

This forum is Awesome!
Thanks for the reassurance that I didn't make things really bad.

I did use the pink RV antifreeze;
I did drain all water from the underbelly drain; and
I moved it from one side of the yard to the other.

Come spring time, I will flush initially with 5 gallons water several times, then probably fill it up a couple of times as well and drain. Can I drain the antifreeze into my yard, or do I need to move it into the street or take it to a drain field somewhere?

Thanks again for everyone's posts...

[krobbe]

No problem at all as that is how I did it before installing a winterizing kit like Bucky Badger posted.
In the spring, just fill and drain the fresh water tank to remove any antifreeze.
Fill the tank and add a 1/4 cup of unscented bleach and flush out all the lines with this "sanitized" water. Let tank sit for a couple hours.
Fill and drain tank twice to remove any bleach smell.
Hook up directly to the water connection and flush all lines until no bleach smell at any faucets. (Don't forget the outdoor shower if you have one)
Open up the water heater drain, close bypass on water heater and flush it out for any sediment in there and check the condition of the anode.
Ready to go.
It took 5gal of antifreeze to pour into the fresh water tank. With a kit it only takes me 3gal. I also pour some into all the drains and the black and grey tanks with the valves closed.